


Find Me Instead

by kryptonianmenace



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25232401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kryptonianmenace/pseuds/kryptonianmenace
Summary: Sokka and Zuko are soulmates, they grow up with their souls switching between their bodies at random.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Katara
Comments: 68
Kudos: 945





	1. Chapter 1

Gran-Gran always told Sokka that you switched bodies with your soulmate because Tui and La switched places on the new moon. That’s why the ritual to stop the switching had to take place on a new moon, with both soulmates present - Tui and La had to be switching for the ritual to work. Soulmates were an extension of Tui and La’s love for one another, shared with the world.

He had once asked why all the nations had soulmates if Tui and La were the ocean and moon spirits, representative of the Water Tribes, and Gran-Gran told him that the spirits weren’t beholden to one nation.

He didn’t quite get it, but he didn’t argue.

* * *

Sokka was a smart boy - he knew he was loud, and obnoxious, and didn’t always shut up when he was supposed to. But he knew how to think on his feet.

See, he figured it out pretty quickly, he was one of the few in his tribe to be born with a soulmate outside of the Water Tribes. He was the only one with a Fire Nation soulmate (and hadn’t that been a scare for the tribe, a Fire Nation boy in Sokka’s body the first time they switched).

No one outside his family knew that Zuko was the prince, at least. They had hammered the importance of secrecy into the boys.

Sokka knew not to speak up when he was in Zuko’s body, not to act out. Azula mocked him, calling him “Zuzu’s boring soulmate” but he knew if he gave any details of his true identity, he could put his family in danger.

So he told Zuko’s family that he was Suka, from the colonies. A simple girl who did simple things. The name was similar enough that he would respond to it, but not his actual name. No one told him to do so, he decided this on his own.

The Fire Nation was suffocating and he hated it, dreading the times he would switch bodies with his soulmate. But he used it as an opportunity to learn as much as he could.

* * *

Zuko loved when he and Sokka switched.

The Water Tribe welcomed him with open arms, amused by the boy in Sokka’s body running around fascinated by their culture. Wary as they were about having one of the enemy among them, they couldn’t hate a little boy.

He watched in awe as Katara struggled to waterbend, excitedly showing her his katas in Sokka’s non-bender body and working with her to try to adapt them to waterbending.

“Mom said not to tell anybody I switch into a boy’s body,” he told Hakoda one day. “She said back home, it’s bad.”

Hakoda hugged him. “One day, when you’re older, you’ll make sure it’s not bad. But for now, be careful. It’s like how you don’t talk about Katara being a waterbender when you’re home.”

“To keep her safe?” Zuko asked.

“Yes. Except this time it’s to keep you and Sokka safe,” Hakoda said.

“Does Sokka know?” Zuko asked.

Hakoda paused. “The first time you switched was after the Fire Nation attacked our tribe and killed Sokka and Katara’s mother. Sokka is a very bright boy and would have realized that announcing that he was a boy from the Southern Water Tribe in the Fire Nation Palace would be dangerous. He told me he lied and said he was Suka, a girl from the colonies.”

“He must have been scared,” Zuko said.


	2. Chapter 2

_ Dear Sokka, _

_ My name is Zuko. I’m your soulmate! You’re in my body right now but by the time you read this we’ll be back in our own bodies. _

_ Your dad suggested we write letters to each other to get to know each other better until we can meet one day. We should stick to writing them in your body though so no one in the Fire Nation finds them. _

_ I’m sure your family has already told you, but I’m the prince. I’m sorry about everything my nation has done. I wish I could fix all the bad things we have done. _

_ I’ve been showing Katara my firebending forms to try to help her with her waterbending even though I can’t bend when I’m here. We’re trying to figure out ways to make the katas work for water instead of fire. _

_ Is Azula giving you a hard time? I hope not. I’ll talk to her if she is. _

_ What do you do when you’re in my body? When I’m in yours I mostly help out around the village and play with Katara. Your dad has been teaching me how to hunt and fight! _

_ I hope we can be friends. _

_ Love, Zuko _

* * *

_ Dear Zuko, _

_ Hi! When Dad told me I had a letter I was really confused at first but then he explained and then I was just excited! This is so cool! We can finally talk to each other! We’re gonna be the best of friends! _

_ Katara showed me some of the stuff you’ve been working on, and I don’t understand her magic water but she seems happy so thanks for helping her! They won’t let me firebend when I’m in your body because the first time I accidentally made a flame, I freaked out, and they questioned me until I admitted I’m a non-bender. They don’t want me ruining your training or something like that. Which is totally unfair cos I think I would be awesome with magic fire! _

_ Azula doesn’t bother me. She says I’m boring (which is totally not true, I’m a delight) but I’ve seen how she plays with Mai and Ty Lee, so I’ll pass. _

_ I mostly wander the gardens when I’m in your body. No one really talks to me. Sometimes your mom will say hi but I think she doesn’t know what to say to me, so she doesn’t say much. I’m thinking of asking someone if your tutors can teach me some stuff. I’m not sure what yet, just anything to give me something to do while I’m here. _

_ I’ll tell Dad to make sure you’re as good at hunting and fighting as me! _

_ Love, Sokka _

* * *

_ Dear Sokka, _

_ Maybe they figured out you’re a non-bender because you call it “magic fire.” It’s just bending, not magic. It comes from within you. _

_ My bending tutors have agreed to let Uncle Iroh teach you basic meditation and control so you’re safe in my body. It took some arguing, but finally Uncle convinced them it would be better than letting you keep accidentally making flame. They still refuse to teach you themselves and they said you can’t learn anything more than that. _

_ Uncle also invited you to tea with him the next time you’re in my body (or as he says, “visit”). I told him we write letters in your body and he said he used to do the same with his wife before they met! He wrote out an invitation for you that I keep in my room (the top drawer on the right near the window facing the two trees) that you can just show the servants when you want to meet with him, so that way they can show you where to meet him for tea. Uncle’s a little weird but he’s fun to be around, so give him a chance. _

_ Have you thought about what you’re going to ask the tutors to teach you? I don’t recommend anything to do with them teaching about the four nations, the things they say about the Water Tribes are lies, I’ve learned. I struggle to not get upset when they teach me, I don’t know how you would feel hearing what they have to say. _

_ I asked Mom to get to know you more. She’s the only one who knows you’re a boy, because the first time I went home after we switched, I told her. She told me not to tell anyone you’re a boy because we could get in trouble in the Fire Nation for it. It’s dumb, but it’s the rule. _

_ Your dad says I’m getting better at using the boomerang! _

_ Love, Zuko _

* * *

_ Dear Zuko, _

_ Bending is totally magic. It comes from within you? That’s magical. _

_ I wish I had had some more warning about your uncle’s tea invitation, but with how we write our letters we don’t have much of a choice when we find out stuff, do we? You were probably in the middle of writing about it when he found me in the garden. _

_ First, YOUR UNCLE IS SO COOL. He told me so many jokes! And then he told me he was going to be teaching me basic firebending control! And then he taught me this super cool strategy game called pai sho! I’m still struggling with firebending, but I think I’m getting the hang of pai sho, even though it’s only been a day. _

_ Second, he let slip that he knows I’m a boy and I nearly had a heart attack. There were no servants around so we could speak freely, so I asked him, and he said your mom confided in him. He warned me to be careful and told me it was smart of me to just let everyone assume I was a girl. _

_ I’m gonna ask the tutors to teach me more about science and bending and maybe the spirit world! Bending and spirits have always been kinda mumbo-jumbo stuff to me, but with both my sister and my soulmate as benders, I should probably learn more. _

_ Katara switched bodies with her soulmate for the first time! At first it was cool because I got to see what it was like up close, but then it was just downright scary. She went kinda spacey at first, which I was told is normal, and then her soulmate just started screaming. _

_ Once we got her to calm down, we learned her name is Toph and apparently she was born blind in her own body. That’s why she was screaming - this was her first time seeing. She’s from the Earth Kingdom. At the time I’m writing this, they haven’t switched back yet, so I can only imagine how Katara reacted to suddenly being blind. After I write this, I’m gonna write a letter for Toph to Katara. Gran-Gran’s gonna start teaching her how to read and write, too, so she can read when she’s here and eventually write her own letters. _

_ Hopefully at one point, you’ll get to meet Toph, too. _

_ Love, Sokka _

* * *

_ Dear Sokka, _

_ I met Toph! She’s very blunt, isn’t she? It’s refreshing. She and Katara are gonna butt heads a lot when they finally meet. I think she’s worried that she’s been in the South Pole long enough for us to switch too, but judging by the fact that you were in the middle of writing her letter to Katara for her, I don’t think it’s been that long. I finished the letter for you, by the way. She’s still getting used to being able to see, but she told me she enjoys being able to do things without “babysitters breathing down her neck.” Apparently her parents don’t trust her to do anything alone because she’s blind. Katara’s gonna hate that. _

_ I’m glad you get along with Uncle! I didn’t get the chance to speak with him while I was home, but I will the next time we switch back. It’s weird that Mom confided in him, though. I didn’t realize they were so close. But I suppose she was just worried about our safety, I guess. _

_ Good luck convincing the tutors! Hopefully you find it more interesting than I do. How’s firebending going? I’m still behind Azula in my katas, but my tutors say I’m improving. _

_ Oh, Katara just switched back, so I should probably finish this up so I can talk to her. _

_ Love, Zuko _


	3. Chapter 3

Zuko was in the garden with his mother when Azula first switched with her soulmate.

Her soulmate, it seemed, who hated the Fire Nation.

He went on a rampage around the palace, yelling at everyone, attacking those he got close enough to, destroying priceless artifacts, and shouting obscenities and things like “Fire Nation scum!”

It was all Zuko needed to convince everyone to teach Sokka - or as they knew him “Suka” - self defense when they switched.

They learned from context clues that Azula’s soulmate was an Earth Kingdom boy who had been harmed by the Fire Nation army in some way in the past. He refused to give his name, and he only began to calm down when night began to fall.

* * *

The Earth Kingdom boy met Sokka on his fifth time in Azula’s body. He had been attempting to harass Zuko, who mostly tuned him out by this point, when Zuko and Sokka switched. Azula’s soulmate watched intently as the switch happened.

“So your the Fire prince’s soulmate,” he said once Sokka was fully aware of his surroundings.

“Huh? Hey, Azula,” Sokka said.

“Don’t call me that!” Azula’s soulmate snapped.

Sokka paused, confused. Then realization dawned on him and he bounced excitedly. “Wait, are you her soulmate?”

Azula’s soulmate scowled, crossing his arms. “Unfortunately. And you’re her brother’s.”

“Yeah! I’m Suka,” Sokka said, the lie coming easily to him. “I’m from one of the colonies, where are you from?”

“I’m not telling you my name, you could tell someone. I don’t trust you yet. But everyone already knows I’m from the Earth Kingdom,” Azula’s soulmate said.


	4. Chapter 4

_ Dear Sokka, _

_ I don’t know what to do. _

_ Back when Lu Ten (my cousin) first died and Uncle Iroh came home, Azula came into my room saying Dad was gonna kill me. I know Azula always lies, but she said she was spying on Grandfather and Dad and that Grandfather ordered it to make Dad know the pain of losing his first born son. Something to do with punishing him for his arrogance of trying to ask for Uncle Iroh’s birthright now that Lu Ten is dead. _

_ But now Grandfather is dead and everyone is saying his dying order was to make Dad his heir to the throne. Which just seems… not like something Grandfather would do. _

_ Mom is missing. I vaguely remember her waking me up and saying something to me? But I was half asleep and she wasn’t very clear on what was happening. _

_ Things are changing around here and I’m scared. _

_ Love, Zuko _

* * *

_ Dear Zuko, _

_ I spent the whole time being taunted by Azula’s soulmate. What an asshole. _

_ The next time I’m there, I’ll do some digging, see what I can find about your mom. Maybe your uncle knows something? She did confide in him about us, maybe she confided in him again? _

_ It is a little odd that your grandpa changed his mind, but it’s too late now. If your uncle isn’t bothered by it, don’t kick up a fuss. After all, it was his birthright, not yours. If he’s not bothered by it, leave it be. _

_ Keep your head low and don’t stir up any trouble. You’ll get through this. _

_ Love, Sokka _


	5. Chapter 5

Sokka stumbled as he switched into Zuko’s body and the first thing he felt was pain searing across his left eye and ear.

“What?” he croaked, reaching blindly for something to hold onto.

Iroh, who stood on his right, reached out and steadied him. “I suppose this must come as a shock to you.”

“Why does it hurt?” Sokka whined. He tried to reach up to feel his eye, only for Iroh to stop him.

“Prince Zuko was injured in an Agni Kai with his father. We are now travelling on a boat as he heals, banished from the Fire Nation. Come, I will tell you the whole story in private.”

* * *

Sokka sat, contemplating, as he processed what Iroh had just told him.

Iroh poured two cups of tea, one for each of them, as they sat in silence.

“I’m from the Southern Water Tribe,” Sokka finally said. “My name is Sokka, not Suka.”

“I had suspected you had been lying about more than just your gender,” Iroh said as he handed Sokka his cup. “You are a very bright boy, and it does not surprise me that you would know to hide your identity so young.”

“We need to convince Zuko to come find me instead of searching for the Avatar. The search for the Avatar is just a dead end search his father came up with to get his hopes up,” Sokka said.

“Prince Zuko is a very stubborn boy,” Iroh said.

“Do you have anything I can write with? I want to leave him a note,” Sokka said.

* * *

_ Dear Zuko, _

_ It’s hard to write with your injury, just so you know, but I know you won’t trust it if I have your uncle write it for me. _

_ He told me what happened, but I still want to hear it from you, whenever you’re ready to talk about it. _

_ Don’t go after the Avatar. Your dad set you up to fail. The Avatar hasn’t been seen in a hundred years, it’s an impossible task. I know you think you can do it, but I don’t want to see you wear yourself out trying. _

_ Come to the South Pole instead. Find ME instead. _

_ I told your uncle who I am, he knows the truth. I trust him. And your crew will just have to deal with the fact that your soulmate is a Water Tribe boy. _

_ Even if you still insist on finding the Avatar, at least come find me first. I want to talk to you in person. I want to meet you. _

_ Love, Sokka _

**Author's Note:**

> Someone please write the Katara & Toph version of this, or the canon divergence with Aang after they free him from the ice... I'm too lazy to do it myself... please, add to this universe...  
> [Check out my tumblr!](https://haljordanisbatman.tumblr.com/)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Missing Piece](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29043183) by [Castibella_Shipper_of_the_Lord](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Castibella_Shipper_of_the_Lord/pseuds/Castibella_Shipper_of_the_Lord)




End file.
